I once (1964) bought a 55 Chevy coupe with a 327 V-8. The car was beautiful, but it came with two ratty Rochester carbs (4-barrels) mounted on the engine. Because the carbs were shot, it didn't perform worth a hoot.
I borrowed a friend's two-barrel setup until I could get a big Carter AFB and the appropriate manifold. I was absolutely startled at the increase in low end torque with deuce on the engine. That lesson always stayed with me when it came to visualizing how various size carbs work on engines and the benefits/disadvantages that may accompany them. The principle learned was exactly the same for model engines, whether two or four-stroke.
Ed Cregger
Wow, how did you get your hands in there. 327s came along long after the era for a 55 Chevy. I do recall a chap that had a 327 with normal asperation that blew everybody away. He done great until he blew the engine. After that he had to resort to twin quads or three duces to do the same times. Seems to be that would have been about 1065-66. I was busy being a Lieutenant in the USAF.
Cheers,
Chip